WASHINGTON - The Army wants Soldier-dads to know there is a new paternity leave policy available to them. To get the word out, Department of the Army spread the word to military bloggers at the Pentagon.

The policy, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush Oct. 14, 2008, allows new dads up to 10 consecutive days of administrative leave after the birth of a child.

Leading a roundtable, Wednesday, was Col. Larry Locke, chief of compensation and entitlements for the Army G-1. He said the policy is one way of showing appreciation for Soldier-dads, because leave time can take months to accrue.

Those 10 days are "very important to young Soldiers and families," Locke said.

He cautioned the roundtable participants not to "under-sell" the policy benefits.

Joining the roundtable were two Soldiers, both fathers who were able to take advantage of the new leave policy.

Sergeant 1st Class Logan McKenzie said that the policy helped to facilitate the birth of his son. McKenzie, stationed away from his wife, participated in an in-vitro fertilization program at Walter Reed. The 10 days of non-chargeable leave allowed McKenzie more time to travel back and forth for the procedures and to support his wife.

Major Rodney Von Price's wife had their third child in March. He was concerned over who would be able to take care of their two older children while his wife was in the hospital.

"Thankfully, the Army created a system where I would have time to do that," he said.

The policy states that paternity leave must be taken within 45 days of the child's birth if the Soldier is in the United States.

Soldiers who are deployed must take the leave within 60 days of returning from deployment. Leave not taken within those established limits will be lost.